Epilepsy Flashcards
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the central nervous system, resulting in recurrent spontaneous seizures. It is caused by various etiologies and can be triggered by electrical, chemical, or mechanical stimulation.
How common is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is one of the most common CNS disorders, affecting about one in a hundred North Americans.
Why is it important for a massage therapist to understand epilepsy?
Carelessly applied manual techniques and hydro applications can destabilize control mechanisms in the brain and precipitate seizures. However, massage therapy can also be beneficial by providing relaxation, pain reduction, and injury rehabilitation.
What role does massage therapy play in managing epilepsy?
Massage therapy can help provide relaxation, reduce pain and physical stress, and assist in rehabilitation of injuries. However, certain elements of massage therapy can trigger seizures for some patients, so care must be taken to minimize such occurrences.
What are the key considerations for a massage therapist when treating an epileptic patient?
The therapist should:
• Obtain necessary case history information
• Determine when not to treat
• Adapt the treatment and environment
• Adjust the treatment plan to account for medications
• Respond appropriately if a seizure occurs
What is the definition of epilepsy?
Epilepsy is best defined as a neurological condition that affects the central nervous system, leading to recurrent spontaneous seizures, and is caused by various etiologies.
Can every brain be induced to have a seizure?
Yes, virtually every brain can be induced to seizure with sufficient electrical, chemical, or mechanical stimulation.
What percentage of the population will experience a seizure at some point in their life?
Seven to ten percent of the population will have a seizure at some point in their lifetime.
What are some situations where seizures can occur without the person being considered epileptic?
Seizures can occur due to high fever, drug and hormone reactions, intense sleep or nutritional deprivation, and electroshock therapy.
How is epilepsy diagnosed?
Epilepsy is diagnosed if a person has two unprovoked seizures or one unprovoked seizure with a high risk of more, such as within damaged, diseased, or vulnerable brain tissue, or in response to stimuli that wouldn’t cause seizures in a non-epileptic brain.
What is a seizure?
A seizure is a sudden onset, self-limiting episode of physical and/or psychological dysfunction caused by an abnormal burst of firing in the CNS. Symptoms are sudden and transient and can include motor, sensory, autonomic, and/or psychic phenomena. These indicate which part of the brain has been activated and often occur in a stereotyped pattern.
Where can the abnormal impulse that causes a seizure arise from?
The abnormal impulse can arise from anywhere within the cerebral cortex or deeper brain centers. It may remain localized or spread extensively throughout the brain.
Why are seizures self-limiting?
Seizures are self-limiting due to intrinsic inhibitory mechanisms within the CNS and because metabolic wastes accumulate, altering conditions for neuronal firing.
What is the term “ictus” and how is it used?
Ictus refers to seizure activity in the brain, and “ictal” is the adjective form used in medical literature related to epilepsy.
What is an irritable or epileptogenic focus?
An irritable or epileptogenic focus is a specific area in the brain, which may contain conditions like gliosis, an aneurysm, abnormal chemistry, or a tumor. This area causes spontaneous depolarization or acts as an irritant to nearby neurons, triggering abnormal firing and leading to a seizure.
Are irritable foci always present in epilepsy?
No, the presence of irritable foci is common but not always present in epilepsy. Some forms of epilepsy involve generalized abnormal firing from the outset.
What is an aura in the context of epilepsy?
An aura is a sensory hallucination experienced by some people with epilepsy before a seizure. It is considered a focal onset aware seizure (FAS), sometimes called a “warning.” Auras can precede other types of seizures.
What are some common symptoms of an aura?
Common aura symptoms include:
• Visual: Flashing lights, blurred vision, seeing things that aren’t there.
• Smell: Unpleasant smells like rotten eggs.
• Taste: Odd tastes like metal or bitterness.
• Sounds: Odd noises such as ringing or buzzing.
• Feelings: Emotions like sadness, joy, panic, or fear, as well as nausea or lightheadedness.
• Deja vu: An intense feeling of having experienced something before.
• Body: Stiffness, twitching, numbness, tingling, or changes in the sensation of body parts.
What is a trigger in the context of epilepsy?
A trigger is a stimulus, usually sensory, that produces activity in the abnormal brain area, pushing the neuronal tissue beyond its threshold and potentially leading to a seizure.
What are some common seizure triggers?
Common seizure triggers include:
• Specific time of day or night
• Sleep deprivation or disrupted sleep
• Illness (with or without fever)
• Flashing bright lights or patterns
• Alcohol (including heavy use or withdrawal)
• Drug use (e.g., cocaine, ecstasy)
• Stress
• Hormonal changes (e.g., menstrual cycle)
• Poor nutrition, dehydration, and low blood sugar
• Specific foods, excess caffeine, or products that aggravate seizures
• Missed medications
• Sensory stimuli like reading or listening to music
• Firing from muscle and joint receptors
What causes epilepsy?
Epilepsy can be caused by anything that damages, deranges, or disturbs neuronal function in the brain, leading to a lack of balance between excitatory and inhibitory influences on neurons, disturbing synchronous depolarization patterns.
How do excitatory and inhibitory influences contribute to epilepsy?
While most seizures result from excitation predominance (e.g., tonic-clonic seizure), inhibition predominance also occurs (e.g., absence seizures).
What populations have the greatest prevalence of epilepsy?
Epilepsy prevalence is greatest in the younger and older populations. Seizures begin before 18 in more than 75% of cases.
What happens to epilepsy incidence in adulthood?
Epilepsy often subsides in early to middle adulthood, with a relatively smaller incidence in the 30-50 age group. However, there is an increase in new diagnoses after age 50, often related to strokes, diabetes, and other organ pathologies.
